For the first time since the fall of the Gadhafi regime, US military troops are in Tripoli, Libya. The Defense Department sent in a four-member team to accompany State Department personel returning to Tripoli to assess the damage done to the US embassy since diplomats left earlier this year, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.

"As I understand the embassy was pretty well trashed, and their trying to go back in and see if that facility is still usable, and if it is what needs to be done to bring it back on line," said Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman for the Pentagon. A US diplomatic team currently is evaluating whether the embassy can be renovated and/or reconstructed or whether a new embassy will have to be built.

A CNN team, including Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jill Dougherty visited the Tripoli embassy on Monday and saw the extent of damage done during what one State Department official said was a 38-hour rampage by pro-Gadhafi suppoerters on May 1 and May 2. The CNN team saw two buildings which had been trashed, burned and ransacked. In one building the ambassador's office was stripped and vandalized.

The embassy had already been evacuated when it suspended activity in February after the revolution began in the spring. No classified information or sensitive materials were left behind. On the night of the attack the compound was protected by just five local guards who fled, the State Department official said.

The military assignment does not negate President Barack Obama's insistance at the begining of operations in Libya that the US will not deploy any U.S. troops on the ground" as the four-member team are for diplomatic security, not combat.

He said the four troops arrived in Tripoli over the weekend with the State Department team and consist of two troops who are "explosive ordnance specialist, because one of the concerns was whether there was any presence of any kind of munitions there at the site, or any kind of hazards in that regard," Kirby said.

The other two are "general security."

Kirby said the four troops were not Marines, who traditionally assist the State Dept. with embassy security, but he didn't say which branch of the service the troops are with or if they will be wearing their uniforms.

Kirby did hint that they would be armed.

"There are no other security personnel with them, they are equipped and prepared to provide for their own defense," he said.

I'm really looking forward to reading much more of your work. Just how did they gain your skill set? Just about each time I visit this blog I'm always bound to discover new insights. Once again, you are correct. The more you understand about customers, the better off you'll be.

What I want to know is why CNN has cut me off from commenting on their political ticker for a week now. Is it because they're trying to defend the GOP from being exposed when I continuously question and highlight their failed record and misguided policies and leadership? Yea, I smell conspiracy CNN. But what I have discovered is that prior to the midterm election, the GOP's base were allowed to spill their hatred and lies on the air and CNN never bothered to censor their divisive, offensive and disruptive rhetoric about president Obama and the Democratic base.

But nevertheless, what I have discovered is that something marvelous happened since the Democrat's defeat at the midterm election. What the midterm defeat did was awoken the Democratic base and since then, I have discovered that the GOP's base has been out numbered 2 to one as far as reader comments goes. But that's not all, because where as the GOP's base or the rightwingers have been straigh out lying about the issues to defend the GOP's failed record or to downplay the success of the Obama administration, the liberals have resorted to all facts and this is what the mainstream media is afraid of. You see lies, fear mongering and propaganda is what won the GOP the House of Representatives to begin with but now that liberals are taking a stand and awakening the American people with the facts, CNN and other Republican owned and operated networks are starting to censor and block comments by liberals that are pointing to the GOP's failures and lies.

So CNN, for a whole week now my comments have been blocked while "Awaiting Moderation" and at the end of the day, when these articles are closed to reader comments, my comments are still awaiting moderation. And I must point out that none of my comments involved profanity or obscene language. So why censor my comments CNN? Is this a real democracy? What about my freedom of speech CNN? But I'm not worried CNN because there are millions of liberals across America who will speak for me and for this administration. And one more thing CNN, what you cannot do is deny me my right to vote. Obama/Biden by a landslide in 2012.

"What about my freedom of speech CNN?"
well you have freedom of speech but that does not mean
CNN has to publish your comments or any body else's.
this is CNN's web site. they have the right to post what ever they want or don't.
If you want to publish your views build your own web site.

There are other troops, covertly, that are in Libya.....how do you think the rebels are advancing....they had to have some outside professional help, not to mention NATO planes need someone to 'lase' up a target....

remember, they had mutinised troops that joined the anti- Ghaddafi forces, to teach them how to fight. As well as NATO Bombing, plus some Libyans combatants are not just from Libyya, sme may have come from England, America and possibly may have served with the US or British defence forces.

I told you "Obama, The Great War Monger" was going to get us sucked into this war. Pretty soon we'll have troops in Syria, Iran, Somalia, and god know's where else. Don't turn your back on "Obama, The Great War Monger".

While it is possible to understand the current deployment of four troops to provide security for the embassy assessment people, history has shown that this will be the launching point for a much larger deployment. Obama like many other presidents has demonstrated that the art of deception and lying is a given.

I must have been hearing things when Obama said "there will be no boots on the ground in Libya". If a car bomb explodes and kills the 4 "boots" that ARE on the ground in Libya.....just how will Obama explain THIS lie to the American people? HE LIED to us.With a straight face he LIED TO US.....AGAIN. And,the reader is correct....this how we weaseled our way into Vietnam.

Really? Your comment is truly un-believable. The boots on the ground are there to protect State Department Employees assessing damage to the US Embassy. Like it or not, the US is going to have diplomatic ties with the new Libyan Government – this is part of that process.

You are grasping at straws to support something that is not true. Of course your response to me will most likely be this: "You believe everything, you are naive, Obama lies, Obama lies, Obama lies".

Yeah, well, so did Bush – where were the WMDs in Iraq? Umm, there weren't any – yet that cost us tax payers a Trillion dollars – I hope you have a problem with that lie as well.

Guess what? Your a dumbass who knows nothing about the realities of life.

US embassy = boots on the ground. An embassy is in any country we have diplomatic relations with. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Do I have to REALLY explain this to someone? God people are dumb these days.

September 13, 2011 at 3:29 pm |

Ed

I guess no one remembers the satillite photos on Fox AND CNN showing a convey of trucks leaving Iraq and driving into the Syrian desert. Where they were promptly buried. Bush decided not to violate Syrian borders to go get them. I say bad chioce on his part.

September 13, 2011 at 4:27 pm |

BillyBob

Your Sir, are an idiot. The dims wanted to the war even before W was elected. Please do not try to revise history and lie about the present.

September 13, 2011 at 6:09 pm |

U.S Army and proud

actually you are very very wrong about that. i have many people who work as chemical specialists in the army. they found stock piles of mustard gas. just because the news doesn't report it doesn't mean they aren't there. while i may not agree with the war. there were WMDs whether people want to admit it or not.

September 13, 2011 at 8:55 pm |

Brian

Wow I knew some idiot would make a comment like this. Its the US embassy. Are we to send our staff there with no security and no check over of the facilities? Also to somehow equate 4 member of the US military protecting State officials to the Iraq or Vietnam war is absurd. You people are really sad

Is there new info on this? I really had no knowledge of any of this was going ontoday. I actually felt my brain growing when I read your post. {Might you have videos on the subject? Can you tell me more about this? I'm really impressed.

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December 24, 2018 at 7:50 am |

Bob

Technically, these four soldiers are not being deployed to Libya. The US embassy grounds is considered US soil.

Are you serious? Because he sends four soldiers to look at our embassy to examine its viability as an embassy, you're saying this is exactly the same thing as having fighting troops on the ground?

Wow. I guess the natural extension of such flawed logic states that every country we have military personnel stationed in is considered to be at war with us. Looks like we're at war with dozens of countries. Even Britain!

ready Embassy security are not advisers -- So, if 2 get killed and 2 are hostages, you mean America will not sent troops?

September 13, 2011 at 4:17 pm |

jalendui

You are exactly right Bailousos. Has anyone told Obama that there is still fighting going on and there is no legit government right now? It's lunacy to put any American on the ground until the war is OVER. Even the rebels admit they are having trouble finishing the job. Bottom line...we have 4 miltary men on the ground. Bottom line....there is no need for an embassy yet. Bottom line...Obama lied to us again.

September 13, 2011 at 6:02 pm |

ranger 830

WTF SERIOUSLY!!!! Must not be much to report from Libya today! Foxtrot Tango Whisky.....How Copy......Over!!!! RLTW

And of course they're lying about the 4 that are there. We've had our military there for months. If the lazy American sheep would just go to another country's (Yes even Canada) media outlets and simply read. Our mainstream garbage is rife with lies and distortions. BTW. We're not in Egypt, Yemen, Iran, Somalia and roughly 80 other countries. But let's not tell John Q. And they're here too. Ask Germany.

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CNN's Security Clearance examines national and global security, terrorism and intelligence, as well as the economic, military, political and diplomatic effects of it around the globe, with contributions from CNN's national security team in Washington and CNN journalists around the world.